Official: Iran begins production of first fighter « Thread Started on Aug 6, 2007, 9:40am » --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Official: Iran begins production of first fighter jetThe Associated PressPublished: August 6, 2007read at source>
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/ ... .phpTEHRAN, Iran: Iran has begun industrial-scale production of its first domestically manufactured fighter jet, state-run television reported Monday, part of Tehran's efforts to become militarily self-sufficient.The plane was first tested in 2006 and was derived from the reverse engineered components of U.S. combat aircraft."The airplane, Azarakhsh, was made by Iranian experts, and it has already reached the industrial production stage," the television quoted Iran's defense minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, as saying.According to previous reports, the Azarakhsh, or Lightning, was designed for close air support